Tech:NYC Digest: November 16

Tech:NYC Digest: November 16

November 16, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

In today’s digest, outdoor dining is closer to becoming permanent, Jumaane Williams joins governor’s race, and the pros and cons of including vax status on a resume.

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  • New York City is seeing a slight uptick in coronavirus cases as dropping temperatures keep more people indoors. (ABC New York)

    • Health Commissioner Dr. David Chokshi said waning immunity for people who received their vaccines more than six months ago could be contributing to the resurgence. The increase was "anticipated," even as 630,000 booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far.

  • Outdoor dining got one step closer to becoming permanent with the approval of a zoning amendment by the City Planning Commission. Once design and regulation standards are completed by the Dept. of Transportation, more restaurants will be permitted to apply for outdoor seating areas. (Crain’s New York)

  • The city plans to release a master plan to protect the Financial District and the Seaport from future flooding and extreme weather events. Among the proposals: getting rid of the FDR in lower Manhattan and extending the eastern edge of Manhattan’s tip by 188 feet. (THE CITY)

  • New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is the latest to officially throw his name in the race for governor. He ran against Gov. Kathy Hochul for lieutenant governor in 2018, and will face her again in the primaries along with Attorney General Letitia James. (POLITICO)

  • New York City will welcome full crowds back to Times Square this New Year’s Eve, as long as they provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. (New York Times) Attendees who are unable to provide proof of vaccination because of a disability will have to show that they received a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours of the event, and children younger than five will have to be accompanied by someone with proof of vaccination.

In other reading:

  • New clues to the biology of long COVID are starting to emerge (NPR)

  • What the Infrastructure Bill Means for the New York Region (New York Times)

  • What’s the Future of Outdoor Dining in New York? (New York Times)

With lots of workers looking for their next job — and with lots of jobs in tech up for grabs — applicants are looking for every way to get a leg up. 

One way to stand out to future employers: putting #vaccinated on their LinkedIn profiles and listing their status on a resume. But is it a good idea?

  • With a growing number of companies requiring employees to be vaccinated, figuring out exactly when to disclose your vaccination status has become a top question for prospective employees and employers alike. (MarketWatch)

On the one hand: It’s never too early.

  • A ResumeBuilder survey of 1,250 hiring managers last month found nearly two-thirds of companies are mandating COVID-19 vaccines for new hires, and a third of hiring managers said they would automatically throw out resumes that don’t include vaccination status.

  • With the oncoming shift in workplace protocols and flexible work, candidates who disclose their vaccination status early on might gain a competitive edge as employers look ahead to compliance with vaccine mandates.

On the other hand: Don’t jump the gun.

  • Sharing your vaccination status on your resume is similar to providing a criminal or credit background check, says College Recruiter founder Steven Rothberg. “It isn’t normal, and it doesn’t happen often. Talent acquisition professionals might even feel uncomfortable about it.” (Fast Company)

  • Generally speaking, resumes and job profiles should steer clear of controversies that could sink a job opportunity from the start, said OneDigital managing director Stephanie Bettinelli: “To many, it may feel inappropriate since it isn’t relevant to one’s work experience or skill set. Some candidates may worry that just by noting their vaccination status, it could rule them out solely based on the hiring manager’s political views on vaccination.”

If you decide to list your status on your resume, a few tips:

  • Do your homework first, and take a case-by-case approach. If you find vaccinations are important to the hiring organization or required for the job specific to that company, you should be more inclined to mention it. 

  • List it somewhere at the top, underneath your name and contact information.

  • Adding a succinct sentence to a cover letter, sharing your status alongside your preferences for office or remote work, is a way to include it without overemphasizing it on your resume or other materials.

Ultimately, there’s no precedent for this, and it will likely continue to evolve. ResumeBuilder professional resume writer Carolyn Kleiman says the dilemma will probably be temporary: “I don’t put that I got my chickenpox vaccine, but we’re not in a chickenpox pandemic right now.”

In other reading:

  • The Worst of Both Worlds: Zooming From the Office (New York Times)

  • A Colleague Had Covid. Should Our Supervisor Have Told Us? (New York Times)

  • Conductor, a New York City and Sao Paulo-based enterprise marketing company, raised $150 million in new funding. Bregal Sagemount led the round and was joined by other undisclosed investors. (TechCrunch)

  • GlossGenius, a New York City-based small business management platform for the beauty and wellness market, raised $16.4 million in Series A funding. Bessemer Venture Partners led the round and was joined by a group of angels. (TechCrunch)

  • Imprint, a New York City-based provider of branded payments and rewards products, raised $38 million in Series A funding. Kleiner Perkins and Stripe co-led the round and were joined by Thrive Capital, Allen & Co., and individuals. (TechCrunch)

  • Nirvana, a New York-based mental health payments platform, raised $7.5 million in seed extension funding. Inspired Capital led the round and was joined by insiders Eniac Ventures, RTP Seed, and Arc Ventures. (TechCrunch)

  • Ribbon Health, a New York City-based API data healthcare company, raised $43.5 million in Series B funding. General Catalyst led the round and was joined by investors including Andreessen Horowitz, BoxGroup, Rock Health, and Sachin Jain. (Forbes)

  • November 18: Virtual: The Hunt for Talent Post-COVID, with Schmidt Futures head of talent Tony Woods, Eden Health chief people officer Chloe Drew, and The RealReal chief people officer Zaina Orbai. Hosted by Savills. Register here.

  • November 18: Virtual: AI Tools for Media & News, with Lede AI co-founder Jay Allred, McClatchy managing editor Cythia DuBose, and Sophi.io vice president Gordeon Edall. Hosted by NYC Media Lab. Register here.

  • November 18: Virtual: The Future of Money, with Affirm founder and CEO Max Levchin. Hosted by the Washington Post. Register here.

  • November 30: Virtual: #notapitch: Unofficial Feedback on Your Idea/Prototype from a VC, with Brooklyn Bridge Ventures partner Charlie O’Donnell. Register here.

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